Tousled
by Die.Hayan
Summary: "Life isn't fair Granger, get over it." A Dramione one-shot about jealousy, the Patronus charm, and tousled hair.


**_Author's Note:_**

 ** _Dramione one-shot, hope you all enjoy!_**

 **Disclaimer: all characters belong to the author of the Harry Potter series; J. K. Rowling. Any characters, items, places and/or organizations mentioned are of her own creation.**

* * *

She could feel him sneering at her without even looking at him. She clutched her potion's textbook tight in her fingers until her knuckles turned white, desperately trying to focus on the instructions in front of her. The pewter cauldron sat on a burner enchanted with a magical flame produced by Hermione's wand, and the water inside simmered patiently for her to begin.

She set the textbook down, reaching for the jar of Skewer Tails before opening the stopper and scowling down inside of it. She shivered when she reached a few fingers in and pulled out a tail, dropping it hastily into the simmering water before reaching for a jar of dark green goo.

Even as she worked she could feel him sneering at her and he was agitating her to no end. She slammed the jar of green goo back onto the top of the desk and turned her annoyed gaze onto him.

He stood as far away from her as he could be without completely leaving the table, his hands resting in the pockets of his slacks and a disgusted look marring his pale features.

"Are you just going to stand there all class?" she snapped at him, turning the ladle in the cauldron clockwise three times.

"Don't talk to me," was his only response.

She huffed at him before rolling her eyes, reaching forward a grabbing four peppermint sticks. She broke them up into quarters and began to distribute them into the cauldron at precise intervals between the stirring of the ladle.

She didn't understand why Slughorn thought it was appropriate for them to pair up for an assignment. Especially one that had a prize to be won at the end. Hermione knew that if her potion won the prize, she was definitely not going to share any of it with Malfoy.

The slick haired git wasn't even doing anything helpful. He was just standing there glaring at her, like he could vaporize her with his hatred alone.

She held back her revulsion when she picked up a jar of slugs before she slid the container across the desk towards him. He flinched away as though her simple touch on the jar could infect him and she rolled her eyes again.

"Cut two slugs," were her only instructions as she began to crush beans under the blade of a knife.

The jar of slugs bumped into her elbow and she looked at it before her gaze shot back over to him. He sniffed with indifference, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No."

She slammed her knife down, glaring at him. She had never hated anyone before in her life. She made it a point to try and see the good in everyone, even Slytherins. But she without a doubt, a hundred percent, hated Draco Malfoy.

"Why not?" she asked through clenched teeth. The more time she spent bickering with Malfoy, the more time was being wasted on the clock. She glanced over at Harry, who had been paired with Ron, and watched him look through that god forsaken potion's book of his. He was completely obsessed with it, he practically slept with it under his pillow according to Neville. And he was beginning to get on her last nerve.

The last thing she needed was Harry to win another prize.

"I don't do projects with mudbloods," Malfoy sneered, yanking her back to reality.

Her eyes darted over to look at him, her mouth half open to yell at him when she froze. His gray eyes were not looking at her, but instead were staring off at the other side of the classroom. Despite her coaching, her curiosity got the better of her and she followed his gaze. Right back to Harry. Of course.

Malfoy, though ignorant and atrocious and sniveling and disgusting, was not a _complete_ idiot. Anyone in their potion's class knew of Harry's sudden success streak. Malfoy looked just as bitter about his new found skills in potions as Hermione felt, which made her feel a little odd. She didn't like sharing the same emotions with Malfoy.

She cleared her throat, turning her glare back to him. They had already wasted too much time, and she was becoming desperate.

"And I don't do projects with ferrets, but I want to beat Harry."

She knew he was trying to hide the flash of interest that cast across his features, but she caught it before he forced himself to look bored and disgusted again. Though despite his obvious interest and desire to beat Harry, he remained impassive as he stared lazily about the room.

S _tubborn git_.

Hermione sighed in frustration, raising her fingers up to the bridge of her nose. Why Malfoy would want an Elixir to Induce Euphoria, which was their prize, was beyond Hermione's knowledge, but she was willing to give up anything to beat Harry and show him that he can't cheat all the time and get away with it.

"Look, if you just stop being a git and help me, you can have the prize all to yourself," she let her hand fall from her face and glanced at him.

He bit his cheek, she could see him suck it into his mouth, and he seemed to contemplate this for a moment. She waited with baited breath, glancing over at Harry and noting with panic that he was already two steps ahead of them.

"Just don't touch me."

She almost died of shock when he agreed, moving a few inches closer towards the table and flopping his own potion's textbooks open with a gruff sigh. She blinked at him before his words registered in her mind.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she huffed, watching as he grabbed for the jar of slugs and proceeded to pour two out onto the table. Her nose crinkled in disgust and she quickly looked away when he picked up his cutting knife and began to slice away at them.

They worked in silence for several minutes, each casting hurried glances towards Harry to see how far ahead he was from them. He seemed to stay a steady step ahead of them the whole time, and Hermione was beginning to grow anxious, and she didn't think she was the only one.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched Malfoy run a hand through his blonde hair, sighing heavily in frustration when it seemed impossible for him to get the absolutely perfect measurement of an ingredient.

Hermione bit her tongue, forcing herself to focus on something else but there was nothing left to focus on. They couldn't move on until Malfoy added his portion of ingredients, and he seemed hellbent on being a perfectionist.

"Malfoy just add the bloody ingredient already," she finally spat, eyeing him with annoyance. A sneer came to his lips but he seemed to ignore her as he poured the powder back into the jar and began to measure it again.

"Malfoy would you just-"

"Shut up Granger," he growled at her.

"You're wasting time-"

"Stop talking to me-"

"Do you want to win this thing or not-"

"I swear to Merlin, Mudblood if you-"

"Don't call me that-"

"I'll call you whatever I bloody well like-"

"You're such an insufferable little brat-"

She reached for the jar of powder in his hands, grabbing hold of it with her pinky grazing his thumb. His hand jerked away and she lost her grip on the jar, watching with horror as it tumbled from their grasps and shattered onto the ground. Malfoy ground his teeth together, turning on her.

"What did I say about touching me-"

"It was an accident you ignorant-"

"You're unsanitary-"

"Oh really Malfoy, you're being a child-"

"Filthy little Mudblood-"

"Enough!"

She slammed her hands down on the table, and if she looked anything at all like Malfoy looked, she knew they were quite a pair to see. With tousled hair and glares that could kill, the pair fell into an angry silence. Malfoy sneered at her and she glared right back, both clenching their mouths shut and breathing heavy.

Hermione closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to calm her racing heart. She whipped out her wand and pointed it at the broken jar and pile of powder on the floor at Malfoy's feet.

" _Repairo_ ," she muttered, and the glass shards sprung back into place. The powder shuttered and lifted up, filling up the jar before it flew up and landed effortlessly in her outstretched hand. Only when she felt the cool glass in her fingers did she open her eyes again to look at him.

His gray eyes were glued to Harry again, a look of annoyance flashing across his face. She set the jar down and jerked his attention back to her.

"Are we going to finish this or not?"

She stared him in the eye and refused to back down. Neither of them blinked or moved for a long moment, simply standing before their simmering cauldron and seething. Finally, Malfoy blinked, and he waved a dismissive hand at the jar of powder.

Hermione picked it up, measuring out the amount of powder needed before dumping it into the cauldron. She waved a hand at the cauldron while she stoppered the jar and Malfoy began to stir the contents, focusing intently on the instructions in the potion's textbook.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, working to avoid each other's movements while they added ingredients and took turns stirring the ladle. It didn't escape Hermione's attention that every time it was his turn to stir the ladle, he would wipe his fingers off on his cloak. This act made her all the more furious, and she chewed the inside of her cheek to stop herself from lashing out at him again.

It wasn't like she was dirty. She wasn't _unsanitary_ like he said. She bathed and was normally clean as a whistle. She couldn't help that Malfoy was acting like a child believing in folk lures, and she tried not to let it insult her, though it was a bit difficult.

The last hour of potion's class ticked by and she was surprised they managed to survive it without another lethal outburst.

She turned the ladle five times counter clockwise for the last step, leaning away as the potion turned a vivid green. Malfoy leaned forward and tossed in a mint leaf and she felt her breath hitch as she waited. He didn't seem to breath either as he watched the mint leaf with intent eyes.

Slowly, very slowly, the mint leaf began to burn away until it was merely a stem that then sank into the potion and disappeared.

She almost thought she heard Malfoy sigh in relief as he leaned away, clasping his hands behind his back and instantly looking towards Harry. She followed his gaze, noting that Slughorn was now making his rounds to check his student's final projects.

"Alright, put your ladles down, time is up," the portly professor said merrily, bouncing over to Harry with excitement.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, pursing his lips together as she watched Slughorn praise Harry, therefore praising Ron by default, with the highest of respect.

"Miss being teacher's pet Granger?"

She ignored Malfoy's sneered comment, gripping her hands into fists and trying to take a deep, calming breath.

Slughorn began making his way around the room, tutting at students like Neville, Seamus, Crabbe and Goyle. He complimented Pansy Parkinson before offering her a tip of advice and finally stopped by Hermione and Malfoy's table.

He glanced into the potion, smiling ever so slightly. He looked up at the two and grimaced a little and Hermione frowned. It wasn't until she glanced at Malfoy that she realized what he must see. They looked like they had just gone through the branches of the Whomping Willow, and she knew the humidity from the potion had not done any favors to her mane of massive curls.

She tried smiling at Slughorn sheepishly.

"Good work," he said, nodding his head towards the pair of them before moving on. Malfoy stiffened and Hermione felt her shoulders drop in despair. They hadn't won. Not according to Slughorn's lack of enthusiasm.

"Alright, everyone gather around while I announce the winner!" Slughorn sang happily, waving his hands to gather the students around the table where the small vial of the Elixir to Induce Euphoria sat.

Hermione had expected Malfoy to dart away from her as fast as possible, and was surprised when she found herself standing in front of Slughorn with Neville on her left and a bitter looking Malfoy on her right. He must be far too annoyed with the situation to even notice that he hadn't left her side the moment the opportunity presented itself.

Slughorn smiled at all of them, clapping his hands together with excitement.

"That was very entertaining to watch I must say, and though some of you did marvelously and some... not so much, there can only be one winner!"

Malfoy snorted under his breath, his eyes rolling as he crossed his arms angrily over his chest. Though Hermione hated it, she couldn't help but agree with his anger. It was obvious who was going to win, and she didn't even bother clapping like she normally would when Slughorn called Harry to the front to accept his prize.

Harry smiled, if not a little smugly, around the classroom before his eyes landed on her. He winked at her, and though he may have been joking, the action sent a wave of unexpected anger and annoyance through her.

"You sure know how to pick your friends Granger," Malfoy sneered, grabbing his textbook and shoving it into his bag.

Her mouth fell open and she turned on him, glaring dangerously. "Says you, I can't imagine why you would waste your time with the likes of Crabbe or Goyle."

He sneered at her but said nothing, picking up his bag and shouldering past her roughly as he headed for the door. Hermione grabbed the table to keep herself upright before she turned to glare after his retreating form.

Surely he wasn't this upset about her comment regarding his two dundering bodyguards. Even he must know how dull and unintelligent their company is.

She glanced towards Harry, watching as he stored the Elixir to Induce Euphoria into his bag and her eyebrows furrowed together in concentration before she shouldered her bag and hurried to catch up with him and Ron.

* * *

"You need to turn that book in!" Hermione yelled, placing her hands in a very girly fashion at her hips. All day Ron gloated about how Harry and him had won the potion's contest, and how Hermione had been stuck with the slimy ferret, and she had gotten fed up with it very quickly. The whole day she had been in a bitter mood and now, back in the common room, Ron had brought up their undeserved victory once again.

"You're just mad because we beat you Hermione," Ron said, glancing up from the potion's textbook on the table top that he sat at. Harry sat in one of the armchairs, examining the Elixir to Induce Euphoria closely.

"Unfairly!" She knew she sounded like a child, but she didn't so much care. She felt too much anger to care. "You cheated! How can you have any self respect knowing that you've cheated?"

Harry scowled at her, gripping the Elixir in his fingers tightly.

"It's not like it would've been impossible for me to beat you without the book," he commented. She couldn't stop herself, even when she knew it was the wrong thing to say.

"Yes, it would have been!"

Harry's jaw clenched and she could see a look of anger in his eyes. This was the first time they had ever truly fought with each other and she was beginning to feel exhausted from the whole thing.

He lunged to his feet, holding the Elixir up in the air.

"Is this all you want Hermione? Did you really want to beat me so bad just to win this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow towards her. She glared at him.

"Of course not," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't think it's right that you keep continuing to cheat like this-"

"It's helping him get closer to Slughorn, which is what Dumbledore wanted," Ron piped in, the tips of his ears turning red.

"He could have gone about it another way, he didn't have to cheat-"

"You're just mad because you're not the best at something anymore-"

"I'd hardly call Harry cheating him being better than me-"

"You're acting really dumb Hermione-"

"He's going to get himself into trouble if he continues to use that book-"

"Shut up!" Harry's yell abruptly ended Hermione and Ron's bickering, causing them both to jump at the sudden sound of his voice.

His jaw clenched and his eyes darted first to Hermione and then to Ron and then back again. He sighed through his nose before he tossed the vial towards Hermione. She caught it with fumbling fingers, her eyebrows pulling together.

"Harry-"

"Just keep it. You wanted it so bad, you can have it."

He walked forward and closed the potion's textbook that sat in front of Ron, picking it up and tucking it under his arm before he started towards the boy's dormitory.

"Harry-"

"I'm going to bed."

Then he was gone, disappearing up the staircase.

The common room was filled with silence for a long moment before Ron stood to his feet.

"Good going-"

"You can't seriously blame this on me-"

"You're the one that told him he wasn't smart-"

"I didn't say that-"

"No, you just told him you were better than him-"

"Honestly Ronald-"

Ron snorted and rolled his eyes before grabbing for his bag that sat abandoned on the couch.

"G'night Hermione," he said, before disappearing up the staircase after Harry.

She stared up the staircase after them, her mouth falling open briefly, before she snapped it shut and ground her teeth together. She stalked over to the couch, dropping the Elixir onto the cushion before she grabbed a pillow and shoved it over her face. She screamed as loud as she could into the pillow before falling down onto the couch.

She fell onto her side with a heavy sigh, scowling at the discomfort in her ribs before she reached underneath her and pulled out the Elixir.

She rolled it around in her fingers, watching the golden liquid pour back and forth before her mind darted back to Malfoy's angered retreating form. She scowled and set the vial onto the coffee table in front of her, watching the golden liquid glimmer in the dying embers of the fire before she closed her eyes, happy to let the unconsciousness of sleep over take her.

* * *

She didn't know how she got there, but she felt incredibly stupid once she was.

She stood outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, gripping the strap of her bag tightly in her fingers and nibbling on her bottom lip. She didn't know what had possessed her to track him down, but she felt like she needed to the moment Harry had tossed the vial of Elixir towards her.

The door opened and Hermione jumped out of her thoughts, taking a step back and pressing herself against the wall as a flood of Slytherin and Ravenclaw students exited the classroom.

A few Slytherins gave her an odd glance, like Pansy Parkinson and Crabbe and Goyle. Luna waved dreamily at her when she passed and Hermione returned the gesture, feeling her heart beating faster in her chest.

She watched as the stream of students diminished, but she had yet to spot his blonde hair. She scowled at this, her heart racing and her fingers fiddling nervously with the strap of her bag.

 _Perhaps he's sick._ She thought, stepping towards the classroom door and glancing inside.

She froze when she saw him, snatching at a pixie that landed on his shoulder, cackling at him. He grabbed it and rolled his eyes, walking towards the cage and shoving the annoying creature inside.

He turned and started back down the aisle towards his normal seat. It unsettled her slightly that she knew that was his normal seat, because he had sat at that seat since their first class in second year. She shook her head, taking a hesitant step through the doorway.

He grabbed for his bag and threw it over his shoulder before turning towards the door. He stilled when he saw her, looking momentarily shocked before a glare over came his features.

"What do you want Granger?" He sounded extremely annoyed and instead of becoming angry like she normally did, she felt suddenly very nervous.

What if this was stupid? What if he laughed in her face and made fun of her? Though she supposed it wouldn't really matter since they were alone and there was no one around to witness it. She bit her lip, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, trying to come up with a way to explain why she was looking for him.

Finally, after a long moment of debating, she opened the flap of her bag, reached her hand inside, and pulled out the vial of Elixir. She held it awkwardly in her fingers before holding it out towards him without a word.

He raised an eyebrow at her, but his eyes immediately moved down towards the vial. She felt satisfaction at the longing look that overcame his features.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped back up to hers suspiciously. He pursed his lips into a thin line and glared.

"What?" he snapped in annoyance.

Hermione bit her lip, rubbing a thumb anxiously along the side of the vial.

"I know you wanted it and.. and Harry gave it to me last night so I thought,"

"You'd thought you could give it to me and in return I'd shut up about your nasty blood?"

Hermione scowled at his sharp tone, shaking her head against his words.

"No, I.. I didn't-"

"Then why are you giving it to me?"

"Don't you want it?" Hermione huffed, catching herself from stomping her foot at his stubborn behavior.

He sniffed with indifference but he slowly set his bag back down onto his desk, eyeing the vial once more. He stood there for the longest time, simply staring at her, and she was beginning to grow impatient with him.

"Look Malfoy, do you want the bloody Elixir or not? Because if not I'll just-"

He moved towards her and she immediately stopped speaking, watching his moves with careful eyes. It just now dawned on her that she was alone with Malfoy.

He stopped in front of her, watching her cautiously, as though she might infect him at any moment, before he held a palm out face up. His teeth were clenched together and he looked like he was concentrating immensly hard. She scowled at him before refusing herself to go into a rant about how simply touching her skin was not going to infect him with some horrible disease.

Instead, she dropped the vial into his palm and his fingers curled possessively around it. He turned on his heels.

"This doesn't make us friends," he spat over his shoulder as he headed back towards his bag.

"I didn't expect it to," she snapped back at him, her hands curling into fists by her sides. A simple thank you would have been appreciated.

"This doesn't mean I'm going to stop calling you mudblood," he continued, opening his bag and dropping the vial into its depths before snapping it shut.

"I hardly expected anything else from you."

He glared at her and lifted his bag onto his shoulder.

"Are you going to bother me with something else?" he asked through clenched teeth.

She watched him for a long moment, but couldn't come up with anything else to say. He started towards her and she watched him approach with cautious eyes until he was slipping past her towards the door, bumping her shoulder roughly with his own. It seemed to jolt something inside of her and she turned on him.

"Why did you want it so bad?"

He ignored her, disappearing out the door.

She scowled at this before hurrying after him, her determination and curiosity outweighing her common sense. She followed him down the large spiral staircase and she saw his shoulders tense.

"Go away Granger," he said without turning around, disappearing down a hallway to the left. She continued to follow him.

"Since I'm the one who gave it to you, I think it only fair for you to tell me why you wanted it so badly," she rushed to keep up with him since his legs were considerably longer than hers.

"Life isn't fair Granger, get over it." he rounded another corner and started up a flight of stairs, obviously in a desperate attempt to be rid of her. She kept her pace, huffing as she took the steps two at a time.

"You must want it for something. It's not a particularly useful or powerful potion so you must want it for some personal reason."

Malfoy snorted. "And if it were a personal reason, why would I tell the likes of you?"

"Because I gave you the potion," she said this as though it all made perfect sense.

"My hero," he spat out sarcastically, disappearing behind a tapestry into a hidden passage. Hermione followed him at lightning speed, momentarily stunned that he knew about the secret passage that she assumed only Harry and the Weasley twins knew about.

"How did you know this was here?" she asked, forgetting her initial curiosity and replacing it with a new one. There was a lot to be curious about when it came to Draco Malfoy.

She could almost feel him sneering up ahead of her and he hurried up the dark and narrow spiral staircase.

"Stop following me Granger," he said instead of answering her. He threw back the tapestry at the top of the staircase and stepped out onto the fifth floor, quickly starting down the right hallway.

Hermione didn't know why she was bothering him, but something inside of her was dying to know why he was so curious about that potion, and this seemed to only way to get him to tell her. Perhaps she was lonely, considering Harry and Ron currently weren't talking to her. How sad, that she was lonely enough to openly engage Malfoy in conversation. She would have to tell them about this when they all made up.

"If you'd just tell me why you needed the potion I'd leave you alone-"

"Something tells me that I don't believe that-"

"What are you hiding Malfoy-"

"I'm not hiding anything, I just don't want to talk to you-"

"Why?"

He rounded on her, stopping her quick in her tracks. She almost panicked at the look of anger on his face before she forced herself to relax. It was only Malfoy, what could he possibly do to her? She lifted her chin defiantly and stared up at him.

"Granger, leave. Me. Alone."

"Tell me why you wanted the potion," she said again, shifting her bag higher onto her shoulder. He glared down at her in annoyance.

"Why do you want to know? It isn't any of your bloody business, don't you have someone else to bother?"

"No."

He blinked at her blunt reply before shaking his head.

"You're such an insufferable know it all-"

"Slimy arrogant git-"

"Filthy little Mudblood-"

"Good one, I haven't heard that before-"

"Why do you insist on being the most annoying, useless waste of space-"

"At least I don't need a potion to make myself happy with my life-"

"I CAN'T PRODUCE A PATRONUS!"

Hermione blinked at him and he blinked back at her, looking just as surprised as she probably did. She snapped her mouth shut, watching him closely. Suddenly he raised a finger and pointed it at her, looking murderous.

"You can't-"

"Shut up Granger-"

"But you just said-"

"I know what I said Granger now shut up-"

"How can you not produce a-"

"It's none of your business-"

"But back in third year in Remus' class-"

"Granger, stop talking."

She scowled at him, her eyes raking over his face. But she knew he wasn't lying. There was a pink tinge to his cheeks and she wondered briefly if he was embarrassed.

"If you so much as tell anyone-"

"But-"

"I swear to Merlin Granger-"

"One of the professors could-"

"I DON'T WANT HELP!" He shoved a hand through his hair, tousling his blonde locks in frustration.

"Is that why you needed the potion?" Hermione rushed out, before he had the chance to say anything else. He raised a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut as though he was gaining a massive headache.

He stayed like that for a long time, and she wondered if he was waiting for her to grow bored and leave him alone. When she didn't move, he dropped his hand to his side and glared at her.

"To produce a patronus you need a powerful happy memory," he said through clenched teeth, as though it was physically painful to push the words out of his mouth.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I know that-"

"I haven't got any."

She blinked at him again.

 _He hasn't got any?_

"Of course you do," she said incredulously, crossing her arms over her chest. He cocked an annoyed eyebrow down at her.

"Oh, and you would know would you?"

She scowled at him, tonguing the inside of her cheek in thought.

"But you must have at least one-"

"Not everybody has brilliant, happy memories Granger-"

"I know that, but you have to have at least one-"

"Why do I have to have one-"

"Because you're Malfoy!" She yelled, glaring at him, her hands curled into fists by her sides. "I can't continue to hate you knowing your life is so dark and-"

He snorted loudly, rolling his eyes in a dramatic manner up to the ceiling. "I don't need your pity Granger-"

"I wasn't offering any-"

"Yes, you were, now stop."

She glared at him and he glared back, and just like back in the potion's room, they fell into a long silence. Neither of them moved, with hair tousled from running through out the castle and angry gazes never wavering. Finally, Hermione huffed, crossing her arms over her chest again.

"So that's why you wanted the potion then? To help you produce a patronus-"

"I can't believe they named you brightest witch of our year-"

"Shut up Malfoy," she seethed at him.

He turned on his heels and started down the hallway again. Hermione watched him go, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The thought of that blonde head not being filled with any sort of happy thoughts made her uncomfortable. How was she supposed to hate him knowing he was a sad sack of disappointments and bad memories? Her conscious would not let her.

She groaned and rubbed a hand over her eyes before burying her fingers into her curls. She started after him once more and she heard him sigh heavily.

"Don't you ever give up?"

"No."

They walked in silence. He didn't bother arguing with her, or turning to look at her, and she followed after him with her lips pursed and a determined look on her face.

He lead her through numerous floors and hallways, disappearing down secret passages and even wandering through the long corridors of the dungeons. When he emerged from the dungeons and started back up the stairs into the main castle, she wondered if he knew yet that it was pointless to try and tire her out. She watched his back the whole way, her arms crossed and her bag bumping absentmindedly into her hip.

Finally his feet pulled to a sudden stop and he ran a hand through his blonde hair. She stopped abruptly when she realized he had stopped moving and she stood watching him.

He turned to look at her and he genuinely looked tired.

"What do you want, Granger?"

She bit her lip, thinking about this question very hard. She slowly answered him, testing the words on her tongue. "I want to help you."

He glared at her. "I don't want your help Granger."

She scowled. "I didn't ask if you wanted it."

He rolled his eyes at her and she pressed on before he could interrupt.

"I'm the smartest witch of our year, Malfoy, I can produce a Patronus. I can help you-"

"And what do you want for it? For me to stop taunting you and your friends? Because that's not going to happen."

"No, I suppose it's not-"

"Then what do you want?"

She bit her lip again, wringing her hands together and trying to come up with something. But nothing came to mind. She couldn't think of anything she wanted. She just wanted to help him. She felt like she had to, now that she knew. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't.

"I just want to help."

His mouth snapped shut and he glared at her, staring her down for a long moment. She stayed completely still, as though any movement would send him bounding away. Then it happened, the telltale sign she was waiting for. He sniffed with indifference.

"If you tell Potter or Weasle-bee-"

"I won't," she didn't know why she said that, but she did.

He eyed her again for a long moment before he turned on his heels.

"Room of Requirements. 10pm sharp."

Then he was gone, rounding the corner and disappearing from sight. Hermione didn't know why, but she smiled after him as he left.

* * *

"Malfoy, it's really not that hard-"

"Shut. Up. Granger." He panted from his spot crouched on the floor, bracing his stomach and gripping his wand tight in his hand. A thin line of sweat covered his forehead and he seemed to literally boil with anger.

He jerked to his feet, paling a little and stumbling before catching himself.

"I'm done with this," he spat, wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his white button down. He had disgarded the bulky Slytherin robes after his second failed attempt to produce a patronus against the bogart-Dementor that they had stolen from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom (more Malfoy's idea than it was Hermione's).

She hesitated a few feet away from him before she started towards him, holding out the box of chocolate.

"Eat it," she said when she noticed his sneer of annoyance.

He growled like a dog before his pale fingers reached out and snatched a piece of chocolate from the box. He took a bite and scowled at the cupboard as it jostled back and forth, containing the bogart inside.

Hermione sighed, setting the box of chocolate on the table and holding her wand nervously in her fingers. She had also shed her Gryffindor cloak in the heat of the moment. Watching Malfoy fail again and again was undoing her. She didn't think she had ever seen anyone grasp so desperately for a happy memory that didn't exist. She couldn't help but pity him every time he collapsed from the bogart-Dementor's form.

"You're just... not trying hard enough,"

"Yes, I am, Granger." He snarled at her, finishing the rest of the chocolate and leaning his forehead into his hands. From the rise and fall of his shoulders through his shirt it looked like he was taking deep breaths.

"Let's try again-"

"Why can't I just use the bloody potion?" His head snapped up and he glared at her. She bit her lip in response.

"You have to learn to produce it on your own. What happens if you're out against a Dementor and you don't have your little Elixir with you-"

"I'll deal with that when it happens."

Hermione scowled. She understood that Malfoy was desperate to produce a Patronus. He was nearly three years behind the rest of his classmates, and she wondered if that thought bothered him more than the fact that he had no happy memories to call upon to help him produce one.

"Malfoy, just try one more time."

He growled again, rolling his wand around in his fingers, before he suddenly pushed himself to his feet, his jaw clenched in agitation and concentration.

She pointed her wand towards the cupboard.

"Just.. think of something that makes you feel completely-"

"Granger, shut up."

She frowned at his tone, forcing herself to remain calm before she waved her wand. " _Alohamora_ ,"

The cupboard door opened and the bogart-Dementor swooped out. Her eyes darted to Malfoy and she bit her lip, watching as he raised his wand. His eyes looked glaze, like he was somewhere far away, but the anxious look on his face told her immediately that this would be another failed attempt.

" _Expect.._ " Malfoy faltered, stumbling a step back.

Hermione was quick to raise her wand, noticing the color draining quickly from Malfoy's face.

" _Expecto Patronum_!" Her otter Patronus darted from the tip of her wand once more, swirling and kicking in the air before running full force into the bogart-Dementor, which blasted backward and slammed into the cupboard. With a flick of her wand, the cupboard door closed with a frustrated rattle from the bogart and she slowly turned to look towards Malfoy.

"That's it," he spat, pale faced and shaking, as he pulled himself to his feet. "I'm taking the potion."

She almost went to stop him and then thought better of it, snapping her mouth shut when she noticed the determined anger on his face.

He grabbed his bag and literally tipped it over onto the lone table in their practice room. The contents spilled out, textbooks and essays and parchments and quills, before the vial landed with a thud on the table top.

He grabbed for it, uncorking the potion and downing the golden liquid.

Hermione stiffened, watching his expression closely.

He seemed to completely zoink out, his eyes glazed as he stared off at the opposite wall. His fingers held his wand and the emptied potion loosely.

She frowned at him, hoping she wasn't feeling concerned, as she took a slow step towards him.

"Malfoy?"

His gray eyes darted to look at her and he smirked an all knowing, confident smirk. She glared at him suspiciously.

"How do you feel?" she asked cautiously.

He tossed the empty vial onto the table, throwing his wand up and catching it before he pointed it towards the cupboard.

"Open it."

"Malfoy, I really don't think-"

"Granger come on," his eyes darted to look at her and his smirk widened. If she didn't know any better, she would've said he was almost smiling. The image made her uncomfortable. "Just open it."

She hesitated a moment before she sighed and waved her wand at the cupboard, whispering the Alohamora spell once more. The cupboard's door flung open and the bogart-Dementor roared out straight towards Malfoy. Hermione gripped her wand at the ready, watching him closely.

He hesitated only a moment before he flung his wand arm out with a flourish.

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

It started with a small shimmer of blue light and her eyebrows darted up when it slowly began to filter from the tip of his wand. At first it was nothing more than a small shield. The bogart-Dementor smacked against it, moving back a little to examine the shield before rushing for it again. And then it started to slither and move until the light bent and began to take the form of an animal.

She probably expected it to be a snake, to represent his house and the venom inside his blood. But what shot from the end of his wand was not a snake. Instead, a medium-sized wild cat, larger than her otter Patronus, leaped from his wand, slamming hard into the bogart-Dementor and forcing the creature of darkness backwards.

Malfoy's wild cat bounded through the air before lurching once more at the bogart-Dementor, slamming it forcefully back into the cupboard. She couldn't help herself.

"Malfoy! You did it!"

She waved her wand and the cupboard door slammed shut. She stared at it for a moment before she turned towards Malfoy and stopped short at the scene before her.

Malfoy stood in his slacks and button down, totally relaxed with a look of ease on his features. His wand hung loosely in his pale fingers and his gray eyes followed the bouncing form of the wild cat. The ghost of a smile lingered on his pale lips and he held up his free hand, allowing the Patronus to pass between his fingers as though it were a ghost.

His gray eyes glistened with something she had never seen in him before and she couldn't help but be transfixed by him. By this man that she had never met before.

His Patronus leaped up into the rafters and Malfoy's eyes followed it. He turned in a small circle to keep it in his line of sight.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

The Patronus leaped from a rafter and vanished into thin air, and the light inside the practice room dimmed once more. The ghost of a smile left Malfoy's lips and he looked almost... lost.

His fingers curled hard around his wand, and his jaw clenched back into its usual look of distaste and annoyance.

Hermione bit her lip, chancing a step towards him.

"Malfoy?"

"Leave me alone Granger."

She watched as he stalked towards his bag, waving his wand and forcing all the materials to pick themselves up and place themselves back into his bag. He grabbed for his cloak, throwing it on over his shoulders, and she panicked a little.

She had glimpsed at something in Malfoy that she never thought she could find in him. Maybe it was something good, deep down inside of him that he kept buried away. She yearned to drag it out of him. She didn't want to waste this chance.

"Malfoy, I-"

"I said leave me alone."

He grabbed for his bag, knocking the empty vial onto the ground before he stalked towards the door.

"I'm proud of you," she forced out. Her words clung in the air like a muggy afternoon and Malfoy froze.

His shoulders stiffened at her words and she watched the back of his blonde head, her heart pounding in her chest. She gripped her wand tight, waiting for him to say something. A long moment ticked by and neither of them moved.

He glanced back at her, his hair tousled from their long hours of practice. It must have been well past 1 in the morning. He blinked at her, and then he sniffed with indifference.

"Granger, shut up."

He turned on his heels and disappeared from the room, leaving her to stare after him with an ache in her heart that she didn't fully understand.

* * *

"I hope you aren't planning on bossing us around," Ron grumbled, setting his bag on top of the potion's desk and seating himself between Hermione and Harry. They had been given another contest, this time the prize would be a Dreamless Sleeping potion, and because of the complexity of the potion, they were to be put into pairs of three.

"Don't worry Hermione, I won't use the book. At least _this_ time," Harry joked, setting his bag on the floor by his feet without taking his book out.

She barely heard her friends jokes as her eyes darted around the room for that familiar head of blonde hair.

She caught sight of him on the other side of the room. He was partners with Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini, and the group of them seemed to be snickering about something or another. It was then that she saw the sign taped to Neville's back and she scowled.

"You alright, Hermione?" Harry asked, pulling her gaze away from the group of Slytherins. She sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"Yes, I'm just tired," she murmured, which wasn't a total lie.

"Yeah, where were you last night 'Mione?" Ron piped in.

"The library," she didn't even notice how easy it was to lie, or how quick they were to believe it.

They started to work on brewing their potion and she was thankful the boys stuck to her instructions, instead of yanking out Harry's book of cheats.

They were haflway through the potion when her gaze wandered back to Malfoy on its own. He was pouring a solution into his potion, rolling his eyes when Blaise pointed at something in the book. His lips moved as he said something, probably chastising the other Slytherin, before he grabbed for his bag and pulled it up onto the table top.

Her breath hitched and she watched him closely, her hand poised over the cauldron with a jar of beetles in her grasp.

"Hermione?" Ron asked, poking her in the side.

She jumped and two beetles fell out into the potion. Ron smiled at this.

"Hey, exactly how many we need!"

Her gaze moved back over to Malfoy and she froze when she saw his hand retracting from his bag, holding the little vial in his pale fingertips. She waited for him to do something, but when his hand remained completely still, she glanced up to his face to notice he was staring directly at her.

She bit her lip, fighting back the blush that she knew was crawling into her cheeks.

He stared at her for a long moment, his fingers grasping the small vial of golden liquid, before Pansy tapped him on the shoulder. He dropped the vial back into his bag, pulled out a blank piece of parchment, and passed it to the raven haired Slytherin girl.

She took it with a suspicious look before she set about scribbling notes down onto it.

Malfoy turned back to her, catching her eye for a moment.

Then she saw it.

He sniffed with indifference, and turned back to his partners.

Hermione glanced back at her own potion, her hair tousled in the humidity of the room, and she bit her lip to hide the smile that threatened to over take her.


End file.
